Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,15.6
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यत् अवोचम् भुवः प्रपद्य इति अग्निम् प्रपद्ये वायुम् प्रपद्य आदित्यम् प्रपद्य इति एव तत् अवोचम्
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yat avocam bhuvaḥ prapadya iti agnim prapadye vāyum prapadya ādityam prapadya iti eva tat avocam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यत्yatwhich; that which
अवोचम्avocamI have spoken; He spoke
भुवःbhuvaḥbhuvaḥ; the middle sacred formula
प्रपद्यprapadyataking refuge; seeking refuge
इतिitithus; how
अग्निम्agnimfire; Agni
प्रपद्येprapadyeI take refuge; I seek refuge
वायुम्vāyumthe wind; Vāyu
प्रपद्यprapadyataking refuge; seeking refuge
आदित्यम्ādityamthe sun; Āditya
प्रपद्यprapadyataking refuge; seeking refuge
इतिitithus; how
एवevaindeed; surely
तत्tatthat; this
अवोचम्avocamI have spoken; He spoke
Translation
And when I said, "to bhuvas I go for refuge", by that I said: "to Agni I go for refuge, to Vāyu I go for refuge, to the Sun I go for refuge."
Version
46785734e4a8 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:08:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The unfolding of a vyāhṛti: the word bhuvaḥ has held three: Agni, Vāyu, Āditya — fire, wind and sun: three luminaries of the three tiers (the sacred triad familiar from 1.3 and 2.24!): one utterance, three protectors.
A mantra works like a compressed archive: the suppliant pronounces a syllable and a host unfolds. That is why the tradition prizes the exact word of a prayer: behind each lies its own unpacking, and a knower prays broad-band: where the ignorant has named a sound, the knower has summoned a triad of guardians.